CoPilot Review

[iSkyShots]

I had the opportunity to test the CoPilot iOS app over my beach area home and other areas of interest in Rincon, Puerto Rico. The results were excellent. Mission planning was easy and the flights were executed as planned. The P3P flew very well. I also tested the DJI Carbon reinforced props and they also performed in an excellent manner. See for yourselves:

 

[Tony Perry]

It looks like they just dropped the price down to $19.99 today. That makes it much more palatable for me. Gonna pull the trigger and put it through its paces

 

[bobmyers]

I had the opportunity to test the CoPilot iOS app over my beach area home and other areas of interest in Rincon, Puerto Rico. The results were excellent. Mission planning was easy and the flights were executed as planned. The P3P flew very well. I also tested the DJI Carbon reinforced props and they also performed in an excellent manner. See for yourselves:

What is it listed under in the App store-- cant find it under CoPilot

 

[dataway]

you can find it here: CoPilot Basic - Autonomous Drone Control on the App Store

 

[Tony Perry]

Just FYI, it wont show up if you search on an iPhone, it's iPad only.

 

[flyNfrank]

Just FYI, it wont show up if you search on an iPhone, it's iPad only.

Wow, and it cost $19.99?

What does the app actually have to offer compared to the dji GO app?

 

[Tony Perry]

It was $39.99 before, which I think was a bit much for most people (me included).

You basically set up all your shots in a 3d map view as keyframes, then it flies the mission and automatically transitions between each keyframe. It lets you see what your flight will look like through the camera before it flies it.

Im gonna go put it through its paces tomorrow.

 

[EPT160]

I had the opportunity to test the CoPilot iOS app over my beach area home and other areas of interest in Rincon, Puerto Rico. The results were excellent. Mission planning was easy and the flights were executed as planned. The P3P flew very well. I also tested the DJI Carbon reinforced props and they also performed in an excellent manner. See for yourselves:

Wow a point break with swell ... and on one out!!

 

[Tony Perry]

Quick test I did with CoPilot this afternoon. Captured video was sped up to match the in-app flythrough.

 

[klawtrax]

Problem is, Apple 3D maps are only done for the big cities. You can still use the 2D map but that kind of bypasses the great feature of CoPilot. I live in Florida and Miami is the only location that has been 3D. I would buy this app if 3D mapping was made more available.

 

[outlaw704]

What is the "developer firmware" that is needed for this app? And why is it needed?

Do you guys have the developer firmware installed?

Waiting for that requirement to go away.

 

[Tony Perry]

It's the 1.05 firmware from the DJI dev site. Installs the same way as 1.04 release. Seems to work fine with all my other apps.

They said that they are working on getting it working with the next stock release.

 

[Scott H]

This app sounds like a charm, especially if you're planning out a specific sequence. I wonder how close together you can make the keyframes? For example, it seems to do great between large landmarks like a city square and a tower; however, I wonder how it would do when filming a big house - such as flying out of a window and down one level to say, a pool area. How tight can you make the keyframes? And how many keyframes are available in a programmed "mission"?

 

[TheloniousMac]

Well now it's free (with IAP) there's no reason not to have a look.
Seems pretty basic considering what's coming out from other developers very soon.
iPad only and doesn't cache maps (crashed on me a couple of times too) really limits this.
Playing around with it there doesn't seem to be much more than flying from one point in space to the next, I can't seem to find speed control or even a way to better control the camera. For instance with the 3D maps you are limited to a certain tilt angle so a shot of the sunrise may be impossible.
Anywhere without 3D maps (almost everywhere) the altitude seems to be limited to almost 500 feet and up which makes this practically unusable unless you regularly fly where there is a 3D map.
There's another waypoint App coming in a couple of days which lets you draw a path on a map then drop a point for the camera to focus on. That seems much more useful than this demo.

 

[Freeskies Inc.]

The FreeSkies CoPilot app is the easiest way to fly your drone while capturing breathtaking footage. We are happy to announce that CoPilot now works with Public Firmware, out of the box. Just download and start flying! Check it out and let us know what you think so that we can design CoPilot for you, our loyal enthusiasts!



Compatibility:
iPads running iOS 9 or above
DJI Phantom 3 Standard, Advanced, Professional, and Inspire 1

Sign up for a FREE TRIAL this Holiday season and capture some amazing holiday footage! Just visit http://freeskies.co for more information.

 

[ViperNuke]

Wow, and it cost $19.99?

What does the app actually have to offer compared to the dji GO app?

Nothing....

 

[Freeskies Inc.]

Hi ViperNuke,

While CoPilot offers similar features to the Go App, CoPilot mainly offers full autonomous control using 3D maps, making it easier and safer than ever to fly your drone. The full list of features include:

- 3D Interface: Create your flight path by selecting keyframes in a 3D map.
- Full Autonomous Control: Create your flight path and let CoPilot fly the path for you autonomously.
- Obstacle Avoidance: Check for immediate obstacles like buildings and terrain before launching.
- Autonomous, Pitch, and Camera Modes: Switch between full autonomous control, camera pitch control, and full camera control.
- Live HD Recording: View and Record your flight in real time.
- No Fly Zones: Checks local no-fly-zones before flight so you know if you're safe to fly.
- Weather Monitoring: Checks local weather so you know if weather conditions are optimal for flying.

 

[Roamer105]

It was $39.99 before, which I think was a bit much for most people (me included).

You basically set up all your shots in a 3d map view as keyframes, then it flies the mission and automatically transitions between each keyframe. It lets you see what your flight will look like through the camera before it flies it.

Im gonna go put it through its paces tomorrow.

I am looking at it too, found one big issue and have a question:

Question first: Let's say you have a hill between two keyframes that is higher than either of the two keyframes. How is it going to fly from one to the other? Do I have to worry about clearing that hill? It must be able to deal with this since there is really no good way to control or verify the route. Playing through does not appear to prove that it clears the hill.

Issue: Unfortunately for many (all) of the areas I want to fly there is no 3D mapping available. The closest to the ground I can get is a 469 feet and of course there is no 3D. The app/interface completely relies on 3D mapping. Consequently, the app has very limited use for a lot of UAV pilots.

 

[Roamer105]

Hi ViperNuke,

While CoPilot offers similar features to the Go App, CoPilot mainly offers full autonomous control using 3D maps, making it easier and safer than ever to fly your drone. The full list of features include:

- 3D Interface: Create your flight path by selecting keyframes in a 3D map.
- Full Autonomous Control: Create your flight path and let CoPilot fly the path for you autonomously.
- Obstacle Avoidance: Check for immediate obstacles like buildings and terrain before launching.
- Autonomous, Pitch, and Camera Modes: Switch between full autonomous control, camera pitch control, and full camera control.
- Live HD Recording: View and Record your flight in real time.
- No Fly Zones: Checks local no-fly-zones before flight so you know if you're safe to fly.
- Weather Monitoring: Checks local weather so you know if weather conditions are optimal for flying.

Fine. Regarding obstacle avoidance - how exactly do you check? Not sure the simulated fly-through as fast as it goes between keyframes is going to tell me anything. Also, since it has all of the 3D information, if there is a hill between 2 keyframes that is higher than either of the two keyframes, how is copilot going to handle the flight between the two points?

 

[wsalopek]

Well now it's free (with IAP) there's no reason not to have a look.
Seems pretty basic considering what's coming out from other developers very soon....There's another waypoint App coming in a couple of days which lets you draw a path on a map then drop a point for the camera to focus on. That seems much more useful than this demo.

Thelonious...what is that app?

Thanks...